Men of War
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anthony John Denison, Catherine Bell, Ignacio Carre?o, Thomas Gibson, Trevor GoddardDVD: 2 Layers, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.35:1
Running Time: 103 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-11-14
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Dimension
Movie Reviews of Men of War
Movie Review: Honorable Men Nonetheless
Summary: 4 Stars
Nick Gunar (Lundgren) is an ex-Special Ops soldier who's agreed to lead a mission to an island in the South China Sea, where he's to strong-arm the natives into signing over the rights of their land to a mining corporation. Accompanied by several of his military comrades - including Tom Wright ("Marked for Death"), Anthony Denison ("The Closer"), Tim Guinee ("Impostor"), Don Harvey ("Casualties of War"), Tiny Lister ("Little Nicky"), and Catherine Bell ("J.A.G.") - Lundgren finds it morally difficult to carry out his mission in light of his friendship with an English-speaking inhabitant (B.D. Wong, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"), and thus causes his team to split their allegiance between him and a new order led by the psychopathic mercenary Keefer (Trevor Goddard, "Mortal Kombat").
As far as action goes, there's not much to see within the film's first 75 minutes besides a bar fight and a bit of inter-soldier scuffles; its final 25 minutes, however, is a nonstop firefight between the two opposing teams. Few films effectively use the build-up style of action anymore, where dramatic tension is played up to the breaking point until exploding into an all-out guilty pleasure. I am greatly disappointed that director Perry Lang ("Little Vegas") had very limited work within the action genre following "Men of War", because the man really knows how to maximize guns and explosions: the action is comparable to that of "Commando" or "Predator". There are few martial arts encounters to be seen, but the climatic, lengthy fistfight between Nick and Keefer is very satisfying: Trevor Goddard demonstrates his boxing knowledge to extents that were sorely lacking in "Mortal Kombat" and Lundgren proves that he does not need roundhouse kicks to topple an enemy.
Don't expect to find Oscar nominations in store for too many of the cast, but know that just about everybody pulls their dramatic load to create a memorable bunch of characters (with the exception of Anthony Denison and Tim Guinee, whom we rarely see). Kevin Tighe ("Emergency!") rounds off the cast and provides some legitimate dramatic credibility, but then again, Dolph and the others were not really in need of help.
The production, by large, is in good shape. Though I counted at least four instances in which small clips of stock footage had been used, the film's cinematography and special effects are good, despite that the movie was clearly shot in an actual jungle without a 7-11 around the corner. The scenery is beautiful, from ethnic villages to lush rain forests and large underground caves, and plays a large part in describing the scope (quite large) and character of the film.
The cultural conflict aspect has been done before and probably better, but is handled without condescension on either side in "Men of War". If there's one major criticism to be given, it's that even though the movie has produced under the best circumstances for a $6 million picture and has excellent production values, it's still trying to tell a story a bit too big for itself (that and the sex scene that had no business existing). Regardless, it's one of Lundgren's very best - up there with "Dark Angel" or "The Punisher", and just underneath "Showdown in Little Tokyo". Watch "Men of War" expecting to see beautiful island scenery, and leave the rest of your expectations up to chance: this is the best way to experience one of Dolph Lundgren's better movies, despite the fact that it strays somewhat from the typical action hero formula.
Summary of Men of War
Action hero Dolph Lundgren thrilled you in UNIVERSAL SOLDIER ... now he's back in the heart-stopping adventure MEN OF WAR! Lundgren is part of a topflight team of ex-Special Forces agents hired by ruthless con men. Their mission: to carry out a secret operation and overtake an exotic island that's loaded with precious jade. But once there, the agents -- led by Lundgren -- defect to defend the islanders against the savage attackers! It's nonstop action as Lundgren and his elite group wage war to defeat the deadly opposition at any cost. From the screenwriter of THE QUICK AND THE DEAD -- you'll love every hard-hitting minute.Men of War stars tall, craggy Dolph Lundgren as a down-and-out commando who agrees to do another job because there's nothing else he knows how to do. He assembles a crack team and travels to an isolated Pacific island with orders to secure it for a mysterious business venture. But once there, he discovers an idyllic paradise with peaceful natives who welcome the mercenaries into their village. When Dolph learns what the venture is really about, he decides he's on the wrong side and, with part of his team, fights to defend the island from destruction. The first third of Men of War is drenched in sweaty machismo--the camera constantly lingers over rippling muscles and bruised skin during an endless bar fight. But once on the island, the mercenaries frolic sweetly with native children and the scenery is astoundingly beautiful (and beautifully filmed). A native who speaks English delivers some heavy-handed pacifist speeches. Then, as another team of more ruthless mercenaries arrive, the movie again turns into an ecstasy of gunshots and explosions--only, because of the genuinely charming middle third, there are actually some emotional stakes to the violence. Furthermore, the natives turn out to be not quite as peaceful as they presented themselves, adding some surprising layers to the movie's moral tone (likely due to the hand of co-screenwriter John Sayles, the man responsible for Brother from Another Planet and Lone Star). All in all, better looking and better written than any movie starring Dolph Lundgren has any right to be. --Bret Fetzer
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